As Christmas Day approaches, we thought it would be fun to share a few of our favorite holiday traditions. We hope you’ll enjoy reading them, as much as we enjoyed writing and reminiscing about them.

From Laura:

Happy Birthday, Jesus … One of our favorite Christmas traditions is making a birthday cake for Jesus. We started doing this when our oldest was just a baby and have continued every year since. We sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and all blow out the candle. When the children were little, it helped confirm that Jesus is a real person. It’s a joy to continue this tradition now that we have a granddaughter. 

From Sam:

Some of my favorite traditions happen on Christmas Eve. We all gather at my parent’s house and have a big meal. For that evening we make special foods that we don’t have at any other time, so there is a lot of anticipation. After supper we go in by the fireplace. It is where the stockings are hung, and it is also the warmest spot in the house! We get out an old Caroling book and sing all the Christmas songs that we know. We may not be the best singers, but we certainly have enthusiasm, especially when we end with The 12 Days of Christmas. We sing each verse faster and faster until everyone is laughing.

Then, with candles lit, we become more serious. Someone opens my great-grandmother’s Bible and reads aloud the story of Jesus’s birth. It was very much a matter of pride when each of my boys finally got old enough to be able to read the words of the King James Bible to us all. Then we take down stockings and begin to open presents, one at a time, youngest to oldest. That way everyone can see what the others got, and there is not a mad flurry of tearing through gifts as fast as possible. When the stockings are empty, everyone sits about enjoying the fire and nibbling on the last tasty treats, thinking of all the fun to come the next morning. It is always so hard to sleep that night!

From Beth:

I was very fortunate to grow up living close to both sets of grandparents, as well as uncles, aunts, and lots of extended family. Ordinarily, my mother’s side of the family would gather on Christmas Eve, usually at our house, and my father’s side on Christmas Day. After the crowd left on Christmas Eve, my maternal grandparents would stay with us as my dad read the Christmas story from the Bible, then we all opened our gifts. We were allowed to stay up late on Christmas Eve, playing with the toys and games (or reading the books) we received. The next morning, we’d check the stockings hanging on the fireplace mantel, then have breakfast together. Later, we’d all get dressed for Christmas dinner with my father’s side of the family.

Now that I’m married and have children of my own, we generally celebrate Christmas at home. For many years, we simply could not travel on holidays … my husband needed to be close if there was an emergency at work. While it was difficult at first not to be with extended family on Christmas, in many ways it has been a blessing because it has allowed us to establish our own way of doing things. Having said that, we’ve adopted quite a few traditions that are similar to the way I celebrated Christmas as a child.

Fairly early on Christmas Eve, my husband and I sit down with our kids and read the Christmas story from the 2nd chapter of Luke. When we are finished, someone volunteers to pass out gifts. We start by distributing a gift to each person, then watching as they’re opened one at a time. When we’ve finished exchanging presents, we let the kids stay up as late as they’d like. Before turning in for the night, I put a few small surprises in stockings for them to discover in the morning. I have grown to prefer opening gifts on Christmas Eve because I think it allows for a much calmer Christmas Day, focused on spending time together as a family, not on receiving. Also … hubby and I get to sleep in, and wake to a quiet house, instead of being pulled out of bed in the pre-dawn hours by a child (or four) wanting to tear into presents. I can’t think of a better way to usher in a relaxing, enjoyable Christmas Day.

From Bridgitt:

Each year while trimming the tree, I share with my children the sentimental value of many of our ornaments. One day I plan to pass them on to my children, to use with their own families, and I want my kids to know the special back story of each one.

I have a cute little bear with a shirt that says “Honey Bear”  from my late paternal grandparents’ tree. You see, my maiden name was Baer and my grandparents actually named their eldest son Ted Eugene Baer — Ted E. Baer for short. Naturally my grandfather called my grandmother “Honey Bear.”

Aside from the bear, I have an assortment of antique ornaments that once graced their tree. I remember as a child hanging three little ceramic bells that my mother’s grandmother, Emma Mohr—the prettiest girl in the valley—gave her when my mother was 10 years old. She has since given them to me, so we picture a little girl version of my great-grandmother when we hang these.

One of the ornaments that always makes me smile is a little glass frog prince, decked with a crown; I gave it to my own Prince Charming 18 years ago. My husband and I would exchange ornaments for Christmas when we were newly married, but eventually had to give up that tradition because we ended up with way too many ornaments! Around that same time we bought a little house that we entirely gutted and remodeled. When my husband was rewiring the house, he twisted a little copper wire for me, that we dangled on our first tree. It’s nothing special to anyone except me—just a silly little copper wire, precious to my sentimental heart.

We have two special little velvet purses that say “sister” on them. My two daughters hang them on the tree every year, and send each other little love messages back and forth while the tree is up.

I have a special ornament with an infant picture of my now-teenage son. My firstborn arrived on Christmas morning back in 2002 … my best Christmas gift to date!

We have our own version of The Elf on a Shelf: two little handmade elves, each with a heart sewn on their shirts. We pose these dolls different ways doing various things, to remind us to show acts of love to each other over the holidays. After all, the best Christmas gift of all is love. It’s funny how the gift of love can cost the least and the most at the same time.

We’d love to hear your family’s treasured holiday traditions. Please leave a comment to share them with us, and MERRY CHRISTMAS from all of us at A Reason For Homeschool!